Methods for calibrating and applying a flexible x-ray imaging system

A method for calibrated X-ray imaging, with an X-ray imaging system with a radiation emitter with variable pose and an X-ray detector with a variable pose which can be actuated independently of the variable pose of the radiation emitter, the method comprising:

• performing an initial calibration using an X-ray mapping of an X-ray phantom on the X-ray detector for a plurality of different poses of the radiation emitter and the X-ray detector to ascertain a plurality of initial projections;
• using the X-ray imaging system to capture X-ray projection data from an examination object for a plurality of different poses of the radiation emitter and the X-ray detector and ascertain optical image data, the optical image data reproducing the plurality of different poses of the X-ray detector relative to the radiation emitter, determining new relative poses;
• ascertaining corrected projections of the X-ray detector relative to the radiation emitter based on the initial calibration and the new poses from the optical image data;
• and
• reconstructing X-ray image data based on the captured X-ray projection data and the corrected projections.